Chicken and Bacon Pasta Bake

This creamy chicken and bacon pasta bake recipe is based on a dish I ate when dining out and loved – with a few tweaks. I hadn’t paired rosemary with any meat but lamb before, and otherwise had only really used it with roast potatoes.

As there’s some growing fresh right by my kitchen door, I had to try making this. I didn’t have any recipe to go from, but just by remembering how it tasted, and what I might change, I created this. You could call it a chicken, mushroom and bacon pasta bake, as I have included the fungi I love. Yum.

Some chicken and bacon pasta bake recipes include leeks rather than mushrooms. To make a chicken, leek and bacon pasta bake instead, simply substitute a thinly sliced leek for the mushrooms. Add this at the same time as the onion and pepper, to fry with them before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Use cooked chicken in this recipe for pasta bake with chicken and bacon if you prefer. Just add it at the stage of mixing everything together, before placing in the oven. (Instead of earlier on in the process.) As with any instruction, the best chicken pasta bake recipe is one that you can tweak as you please!

You could use parmesan cheese instead of cheddar, for a more cheesy pasta bake. I simply find that I always have cheddar in anyway. It’s also more (young) child-friendly – and thus likely to become a family favourite. As this dish isn’t baked in a cheese sauce, topping with parmesan should be fine for most older kids and adults. You can also make it suitable for coeliacs by using gluten free pasta.

Serves 4

Chicken and bacon pasta bake ingredients

• Pancetta, unsmoked, 1 pack (sold chopped, about 80-100g)
• Chicken breasts, 2, cut into small cubes
• Red onion, 1, chopped
• Mini sweet pepper, 2-4 depending on size, chopped
• Chopped tomatoes, 1 tin or carton
• Milk, 100ml
• Button mushrooms, a few, quartered
• Rosemary, dried, 1 heaped tsp; or fresh, 1 stem (needles only)
• Parsley, dried, 1 tsp
• Black pepper, coarse or freshly ground, a pinch
• Creme fraiche, 150ml
• Cheddar cheese, 100g, grated
• Pasta, 400g

Equipment

• Sharp knife
• Chopping board
• Saucepan
• Wooden spatula
• Ovenproof baking dish

How to make easy Chicken and Bacon Pasta Bake

• Fry the pancetta (without any oil, it will fry nicely in its own fat) for about a minutes, stirring, until it starts to release some fat. Add the chicken breast and stir well, then fry for a few more minutes, stirring often, until it start to turn golden brown.
• Add the onion and peppers and cook for a further few minutes, stirring.
• Put in the tomatoes, milk, mushrooms, herbs and black pepper and stir well. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes over a medium heat. 
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to pack instructions. Drain once it’s done.
• Stir the creme fraiche into the chicken and bacon pasta bake sauce. Then add the cooked pasta. Mix well, then transfer to an ovenproof lasagne or casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the top.
• Bake at 180 degrees fan for about 20 minutes, or until the top is crispy and golden.

Serve this bacon and chicken pasta bake just as it is, with salad or vegetables, and/or garlic bread.

Related recipes:

• Easy creamy bacon pasta
• Turkey mince pasta bake
• Cheese & courgette pasta al forno
• Meatballs with creamy sauce
• One pan ham & cheese pasta

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